The Coast Guard Cutter "Shrike," an 87-foot patrol boat based in Bayonne, passes the Statue of Liberty in this 2017 file photo from the U.S. Coast Guard.(Photo: Petty Officer 3rd Class Steven Strohmaier, U.S. Coast Guard)

The Coast Guard, which responded to more than 700 false alarms nationwide in 2018, is warning every mariner with an an emergency position indicating radio beacon to get it registered — or face up to a $10,000 fine.

“We handle EPIRB alerts with a bias for action,” said Lt. Daniel Dunn, a command duty officer in the Fifth Coast Guard District’s command center, in a prepared statement. “We have to treat them as actual distress calls until we can prove otherwise.”

Any emergency response by the Coast Guard does not come cheap. An HC-130 Hercules airplane costs about $15,000 per hour to fly, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter costs $10,000 per hour to fly, and a Coast Guard small boat costs $5,000 per hour to operate, according to the Coast Guard.

This year, watch-standers were able to contact 163 of the more than 700 beacon owners who unintentionally transmitted a false distress signal. The remaining owners who accidentally sent false signals had not registered their beacons, not updated their registration information or had disposed of them improperly, the statement read.

Check out the video above to see how an EPIRB works and how easy it is to register one with the federal government.

When Coast Guard watch officers receive such an alert and cannot trace it to the owner due to missing or outdated registration information, the federal agency must launch aircraft and boats expensive to operate in an effort to conduct a search and rescue.

Owners of commercial fishing vessels, uninspected passenger vessels that carry six or more people and uninspected commercial vessels are legally required to carry a beacon. However, the Coast Guard recommends that every boater who transits offshore or on long voyages should carry an EPIRB.

The beacons transmit a distress call to a satellite system called Cospas-Sarsat.

The satellites then relay the signal to a network of ground units and ultimately to the Coast Guard and other first responders.

The Federal Communications Commission requires that all EPIRB owners register their beacons with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and keep their registration information current.

If an unregistered beacon activates, the FCC will pursue and prosecute the owner based on evidence provided by the Coast Guard. The federal government will then issue warning letters or notices of apparent liability for fines of up to $10,000, according to the Coast Guard.

“If people used this system appropriately, it would take a lot of the guesswork out of search and rescue,” Dunn said. “Unregistered EPIRBs result in lost time, money, and the misuse of resources that could be used to save someone’s life.”

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Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Itsâ€™ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its’ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its’ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its’ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its’ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its’ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its’ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its’ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. ItsÕ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman

Barnegat Light is a town on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. Barnegat Lighthouse Park was created in 1957. Its’ main attraction is the lighthouse, which you can climb to the lightkeepers catwalk. Besides the lighthouse people come to the park to walk, birdwatch, learn about maritime history and fish. Peter Ackerman